Founder, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer & President, Cogent Hldgs
Search every verified David Schaeffer interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. David Schaeffer, founder and CEO of Cogent Communications, has been discussing the impact of artificial intelligence on network infrastructure in a series of 2026 appearances. At ITW 2026, he described Cogent's network as spanning 57 countries with roughly 93,000 route miles of intercity fiber and connections to over 1,950 data centers, carrying approximately two exabytes of data daily for more than 110,000 customers. He stated that AI training has created significant demand for transport capacity because data and the power required to process it are often not co-located, and he argued that AI inference will shift traffic directionality and increase total bit volume, requiring new optical transport equipment at the network edge. In a June keynote at NANOG, Schaeffer compared the current AI investment cycle to the late-1990s internet boom, saying that AI is real and transformational but that the industry faces near-term constraints in equipment, memory, and power availability. In a March 2026 interview with Recurve Capital, Schaeffer discussed Cogent's acquisition of Sprint's network, which closed in May 2023. He said that T-Mobile agreed to pay Cogent $700 million to run the acquired business over time and that the company had received approximately $500 million of that amount. He stated that the acquired business had reached EBITDA break-even and that Cogent had increased its underlying EBITDA margins from 1% to 22% over nine quarters, though he noted the acquired revenue streams remain lower-margin and in decline. Schaeffer also said the company's priorities are returning to top-line growth, continuing margin expansion, and addressing its debt maturity schedule, adding that he expects to remain at the company for several more years. In earlier podcast appearances, he recounted Cogent's history of acquiring distressed networks such as PSINet and LambdaNet during the early-2000s telecom collapse, describing the company's strategy as focusing on low-cost internet transport.
This discussion explores the growing pressure AI is placing on networks, including capacity expansion, inferencing, traffic growth, and the broader connectivity foundation needed to support digital transformation.
Abstract Network reliability is critical to ensure AI functions effectively – from training LLMs to deploying mature models for applications and end-users. Network engineers may need to redefine their Service Level Objectives to prevent network instability from throttling GPUs and reducing their performance, as well as employ monitoring tools to ensure peak performance and minimize outages. As your data volume grows, this type of data-driven approach also enables the use of automation or code to handle traffic loads. When mature models are deployed for use in applications or by end-users, rel…
Dave Schaeffer, founder and CEO of Cogent Communications, joins JSA TV at ITW 2026 to talk about how AI is reshaping internet traffic and what that means for global networks. He shares how Cogent’s footprint spans 57 countries with extensive fiber and nearly 2,000 data center connections, giving the company a front row seat as it carries roughly two exabytes of data a day for more than 110,000 customers. He explains why optical wavelengths remain key for metro and intercity traffic, where dedicated wavelengths still make sense for latency‑sensitive uses, and how AI training and the rise of AI…
Aaron Chan, Recurve Capital's Founder & Managing Partner interviews Dave Schaeffer, Cogent's Founder, Chairman and CEO three years after their first conversation. In this interview, we explore the sources of Cogent's sustainable competitive advantages and right to win in its end markets. Dave also gives his view on how the Sprint acquisition has gone so far and why he would do the deal again in a heartbeat. Finally, we close on Dave's approach to capital allocation and how much gas Dave still has in the tank to guide Cogent in the future.
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan Caruso sits down with Dave Schaeffer—Founder and CEO of Cogent Communications—for Part Two of their conversation. This time, Dave takes us deep inside the chaos of the early 2000s telecom collapse—when companies were vanishing overnight and billions in fiber lay stranded underground. He reveals how Cogent turned crisis into opportunity, buying distressed networks like PSI Net and LambdaNet for pennies on the dollar and stitching them into one of the most efficient global backbones ever built. Dave and Dan unpack how Cogent’s “focus or fail” strategy def…
In this episode of The Bear Roars, Dan Caruso sits down with Dave Schaeffer, founder and CEO of Cogent Communications, to unpack one of the most fascinating and unorthodox careers in telecom. Before launching Cogent, Schaeffer ran the second-largest taxicab company in Washington, D.C., built a real estate empire, and traded in spectrum—after entering college at age 12 and nearly completing a PhD as a teenager. Schaeffer shares the wild backstory behind his entrepreneurial path, including the strategic bets that helped him turn $1 million investments into multimillion-dollar exits long befor…
In this episode of Digging Into the Future, Bill Barney chats with Dave Schaeffer, Founder & CEO, Cogent Communications on strategic moves in the digital infrastructure sector, including their recent merger and expansion into optical transport and co-location services following the acquisition of Sprint's global network. The conversation explores the broader economic impact of digital infrastructure, stemming from lessons learned after the telecom meltdown of 2000, which transformed into a cornerstone for major tech firms. Dave emphasizes how consumers and tech giants benefit from internet p…
Aaron Chan, Managing Partner of Recurve Capital, interviews Cogent's Founder, Chairman & CEO Dave Schaeffer. It is a wide-ranging discussion covering Dave's early life; his evolution as a business operator, investor and capital allocator; the opportunity he saw when he started Cogent Communications; and the value that can be created as it nears the completion of its first acquisition in 17 years. Dave has navigated Cogent through an industry that has consolidated from 1,600 competitors in the late 1990s to five today. Copyright © Recurve Capital LLC. All rights reserved. This interview…
Cogent Communications CEO, Dave Schaeffer, spoke with Georgetown’s Carolyn Brandon and Jennifer Fritzsche for this year’s first episode of Little Nuggets of Tech and Telecom. During the lunchtime discussion, they discussed current drivers of internet traffic in a post pandemic world, views on how the current macro regulatory and business environment may impact capital spending and Mr. Schaeffer’s outlook on the sector for 2023 and beyond. Some key takeaways from the discussion: 1. The pandemic created corporate uncertainty, leading to an increase in vacancy rates in buildings served by Cogent…
In this episode of Network AF, the network engineering podcast: Dave Schaeffer, founder and CEO of Cogent Communications, discusses his path in networking and the innovations that have propelled their ISP to success. In this episode Avi and Dave touch on: The differences between developing a product and a business Focusing on the product and knowing when to pivot to new ideas Raising investor money and the dynamics it creates The decreasing costs of internet service and Cogent's role in creating affordable access How COVID-19 has impacted culture and operations at Cogent Hiring practices whe…
Speaker Dave Schaeffer, Cogent Communications Dave Schaeffer founded Cogent Communications in August 1999 and is the Chief Executive Officer. Under Mr. Schaeffer's leadership, Cogent has become one of the world's largest Internet Providers. Mr. Schaeffer has led the efforts of 13 successful acquisitions, propelling Cogent's originally U.S.-based network into Canada, Europe and Mexico. Mr. Schaeffer has successfully founded and operated six other businesses prior to Cogent. These businesses span a wide array of industries from communications to commercial real estate. Mr. Schaeffer holds a B.S.…
Dave Schaeffer (@Cogent) - Founder & CEO, Cogent Anja Manual (@AnjaManuel1) - Co-Founer & Principal, RiceHadleyGates LLC
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